Path of the Power
by Cranky Kong
Summary: Dark Specter's influence isn't fully gone, and it continues to haunt Karone. Concerned for her safety, Andros enlists some old friends to watch over her. Perhaps they can guide her back to the light.
1. Beginnings

_A/N: Hello, my friends, and welcome to my very first fan-fiction. This takes place after the SPD/Dino Thunder Team-Up. Thanks to Kat Manx, Conner, Ethan, and Kira's powers are active again. In a few weeks, Haley was able to jury-rig Tommy and Trent's morphers as well. Team Dino-Thunder is Back in Action! Sorry, couldn't resist a pun there. Anyway *voice changes dramatically*_

_ Green, Blue, Gray, Pink, Crimson, Red, and even White: not exactly what you'd think when you imagine evil colors. Yet the dark forces set against the Power have used each one in their plan. Some managed to fight off the darkness; others were rescued by courageous souls. But neither good nor evil can ever truly be defeated. They merely change their methods…as one Pink Ranger is about to find out._

Path of the Power

(prologue)

(_It all started with a candy bar…well sort of.)_

"Ugh, this stupid vending machine isn't taking dollars again." Karone banged her fist against the insurgent device and inwardly winced as she hurt her hand.

Her brother Andros smirked, "Do you really need more candy? I saw you drinking that Crimson Bison earlier."

"That's Red Bull. And can you blame me? I haven't slept well recently. Interrogating prisoners is just as draining for the officers as it is for the perp. This guy had better have the information we need."

"I feel the same, but this is too important. If data we found on this guy's ship is correct, then he was a member of the United Alliance of Evil."

"And if that's true, than there could be others in the UAE who managed to survive Zordon's Wave…." She shook her head as the unpleasant memories surfaced. In the wastelands of what was once KO-35, the Pink Galaxy Ranger had been the one to find this perpetrator comitting a heist and brought him in after a difficult fight. Now, three different teams were interrogating him for the vital info he carried. "Well, it's almost time to change shifts; maybe Trigger-Finger-Troy got him to crack.

Their conversation was interrupted as Carter Grayson, the Red Lightspeed Ranger, stumbled into the room and steadied himself against the wall. In response to their shocked looks, he merely gave them a thumbs-down and headed for his bunk.

"—Or maybe not."

"Then I guess it's your turn then."

"I don't know what to do. He's shown resistance to mental probes, reduction in sentence, even minor torture."

"Maybe you just need to scare him."

_Yeah Andros, scare someone who we caught in a sector of space that even that Lord Zedd wouldn't go. How am I supposed to do that? Wait, I have an idea._

A/N: Minor cliffhanger here. Perhaps more exposition is needed. After Forever Red, Andros and TJ returned to Earth and active duty with the other Space Rangers. Karone remained behind on Miranoi with Leo, Mike, Maya, Kai, and Damon to help settle Terra Venture's inhabitants onto the planet. Until a journey back to her old homeworld crossed her path with someone she once knew. But no spoilers. Stay tuned for more.


	2. Blood and Water

_Chapter 2_

"_Break, break! Return to center. Judges call: one point. The match is a draw. Please shake your opponent's hand."_

_The two fighters eyed each other with respect before shaking hands._

"_Great fight, man," said the one in red, "you really kept me going."_

"_Thanks," replied green, "we'll have to rematch later."_

_Red nodded and returned to his waiting friends. Green packed up his things and walked outside. A brisk wind had picked up, and the young man shivered slightly. He could hear a strange buzzing in his ears. His senses on edge, he glanced in all directions; no one was there. He kept walking, feeling that someone was watching him. Suddenly, something ran into him, a bizarre being seemingly made out of clay or putty. More creatures appeared and attacked him. He swept one off of its feet, flipped two more, and winced as one hit him from behind. Quickly, he grabbed a nearby garbage can lid and used it as a shield. After a few tense minutes, all of the figures were downed._

"_Man, what just happened? And why me?"_

_The wind rose to a roar picking up leaves and debris and swirling it around him._

"_What's going on?"_

"_Tommy Oliver," __rasped an evil voice, __"You have been chosen to be my evil Green Ranger!"_

"_What's happening?! __NO!"_

For the umpteenth time, Karone ran her hands through her dirty-blond hair as she waited for the elevator to reach its destination.

_ Ugh, I knew I should have let TJ do this instead. The guy's so nice, he could convince an Org to have a change of heart, and they don't even __**have**__ hearts! Okay, the elevator's stopping; stay calm, Karone._

The figure inside the cell barely looked up as she entered; he was calmly sipping a cup of tea.

"Now that's strange," he commented loosely, "First, the martyr without a cause and now the resident two-face."

He really knew how to get under her skin. She fought to stay in control, "Save it. I want answers. Why were you part of the UAE? How did you escape the Rangers? What were you doing on KO-35?"

He looked at her; she figured he was sizing her up, "And do you honestly expect me to tell you for free? Or were you perhaps going to threaten me if I didn't?"

"Challenge, not threaten."

"Hmm?"

"It's like this. This Megaship has a simulation field to practice battling monsters. You and I will duel in single combat with one weapon each. If I win, you tell me everything; if you win, you can go free."

He chuckled, "Interesting offer. Very well, I accept."

"Excellent. Each of us will have one hour to prepare; I'll be back for you then." She turned to leave.

He raised his hand, "Before you go, let me ask you one thing. Have you spoken to my sister recently?"

"Last I saw of her, she was pestering Kira about becoming a singer."

"I see. Well, old habits die hard for her. But then, you'd know everything about that. Right, _Astronema?"_

Karone stiffened then snarled, "As do you, General Havoc."

_A/N: Yes, Divatox's brother is the one that everyone's worried about. Havoc was the only villain in Turbo who wasn't an incompetent fool and the only person from the Zordon era I thought worthy of matching wits with the Princess of Evil. He really should have lasted more than three episodes. Anyway:_

Karone: I'm getting nervous. Havoc may be arrogant, but he's no fool. He's a formidable combatant, and I'm not sure if I can beat him. But I can't pass up a chance like this. The only question is: how hard is he prepared to fight?


	3. The Duel

Chapter 3

_Ah, the training room. The Space Rangers used it many times to prepare themselves for battle against…well me. The field can be set to anywhere in the galaxy and any condition the user can think of. It can even emulate opponents in case no one else wants to spar. Only now, its use could very well determine the path of my life._

Exactly one hour later, the door to the combat room opened, and Karone and Havoc entered. As she went to adjust the settings, the Pink Galaxy Ranger wiped sweat from her forehead and tried to keep a straight face. Before confronting Divatox's brother in his cell, she'd been perfectly confident in her fighting prowess. Now…she was terrified.

_What is it about him that makes me so scared? He's certainly not doing anything intimidating; he's just standing there!_

Noticing her staring at him, Havoc approached her.

"Is something the matter, Karone? Are you having second-thoughts? Because if you are, I could simply return to my cell."

"I'm fine, thank you very much. I'm just trying to find an appropriate setting for the duel."

The general grabbed her wrist, "Now hold on a minute. Since you challenged me, it seems only fair that _I_ am allowed to pick the location."

"Go ahead. It won't matter anyway."

Havoc scrolled through the list of battlefields and stopped when he found the one he wanted.

The computer read the name aloud. "The location is: The Dark Fortress."

_As though I didn't see that coming._

The area around them blurred then came back into focus as the dining hall of the United Alliance of Evil. Moving to the center, Havoc drew his ruler-long rapier. Karone responded with her Quasar Saber.

"You're seriously going to fight me with that glorified needle?"

"Not quite." Suddenly, the General's weapon rapidly grew in length and size. A hilt appeared with a red jewel incrusted in the center, and the blade stretched into a noticeable point. When the sequence was finished, Karone found herself staring at an exact replica of her own sword!

"I didn't know it could do that."

"I suspected you would try and trick me with this fight. After all, if we could only use one weapon each, that narrows down options for cheating. So, I improvised. Now then, shall we dance, Little Princess?"

With another snarl, Karone charged at Havoc only for him to spin and catch her off-balance. Chucking, he slammed the flat of his sword against her unprotected back knocking her to the ground.

"Augh!"

"Now now, Little Princess, that's not proper form at all. Show me the poise that defeated Delphine of Aquitar."

She flung herself upright and reached for her left wrist. "Grr, GO Galactic!"

With those words, Karone vanished behind the mask of the Pink Galaxy Ranger. An instant later, Divatox's brother brought his sword around for a second strike. There was a ringing crash as the two weapons struck. With the Power now flowing through her body, Karone broke the lock and forced him back.

"Hmm?"

"You were a fool to challenge me here, Havoc. I know this Fortress more than I know the Megaship. Let's see if you can keep up now."

(_Elsewhere)_

Andros's eyes snapped open. He could feel someone tapping into the Power. But why would someone morph behind friendly lines? He leapt from his bed.

"DECA, is there an intruder on board?"

"Negative Andros. No one has accessed the docking bay or any of the entrances."

"Scan the ship. Is there anyone outside their quarters?"

"Scan reports two life-forms in the training room and all but one Ranger in their bunks."

"Two life-forms in the training room, but only one Ranger missing? But that could only mean that…oh no. DECA, code-red! Sound the alarm and wake everyone up NOW!"

"Roger. But where are you going, Andros?"

"To stop our prisoner from escaping. "Let's Rocket!"

(_Back to Action)_

Despite her confidence, Karone's morph hadn't saved her entirely. True she now had increased strength and endurance, but without the Lights of Orion she couldn't fight at full power, and those required all five Galaxy Rangers present to activate. What surprised her most was Havoc's persistence. Again and again, she would break through his guard and strike, but though he was clearly in pain, his strokes didn't slow in the slightest.

"Don't you know when you're beaten? Give up already."

Havoc said nothing. Three more strikes and their blades locked together.

Behind her mask, Karone frowned, "What's wrong? Quantron got your tongue?"

He still did not reply. Angrily, she struck harder and faster, forcing more and more of the Power into each blow. Dodging a stab, she grabbed Havoc's sword arm and knocked him back hard. Stunned, the General was unable to block her next strike and got himself a nasty gash across his chest for his trouble.

"I've had enough of this. Quasar Saber energize!" Her sword glowed a bright pink and crackled with energy. Leaping upwards, she gave a loud roar as the Saber made contact. Havoc's false sword shattered into pieces, while the general himself was flung backwards into the wall clutching his head and screaming in pain. With a triumphant sneer, Karone forced Havoc to stand and pressed her Saber to his throat.

"Well now, General, any last words?"

"Yes," he spat out a mouthful of blood and narrowed his eyes, "You lose."

He brought both of his hands up to grab the sword and at the same time kicking her torso, right where the ribs divide. Gasping for air, she had to let go of the sword to hold her stomach, and that was her mistake. Havoc cut her across her suit then switched hands and jammed the butt of the blade between her shoulder blades. Crumpling to the floor, she winced as he flipped her on her back and brought his boot down on her chest.

"You heroes are all the same. Force someone into a corner and you let your guard down. I knew that fighting tooth and claw against the Power would not help at all. So, I endured. That's how I earned my reputation. When Master Vile attacked the Ninja Rangers, his Blue Globber nearly defeated them by stealing first Ninjor's and then their own power and using it against them. Neither the Shogun Megazord nor the Ninja Megazord could defeat him, for he just kept getting back up. When Goldgoyle brought down the Rescue and Turbo Zords, he withstood all of their attacks and responded in kind. Like them, I've learned to condition myself against pain. To tolerate larger and larger amounts until I practically felt nothing at all. Your energized Saber hurt no more than a needle."

"Then…why put up that act?" She strained through clenched teeth, "Why pretend I was hurting you?"

"I wanted you to let your guard down," he smirked, "and I succeeded." He removed his boot from her body and gave her a savage kick. "Now then, as the victor of this contest, I claim my freedom." At the word 'victor', the arena reverted back to its original state.

"And what happens to me? You're not just going to leave a living witness, are you?"

"And just what would I gain from killing you? Your brother and about 11 other Rangers will hunt me down for revenge. No, you shall keep your life."

Forcibly demorphed, Karone struggled to stand but collapsed again. Through a haze of pain, she could hear Andros banging on the training room door. "And just how do you plan to leave? There are three teams of Rangers on this ship, and I guarantee that you won't get past all of them."

Havoc leaned down close to whisper into her ear. "You should be more concerned about yourself Karone."

"You're in no position to threaten."

"Challenge not threaten." Moving towards the opposite exit, he turned back for a final word.

**_"Run home, Little Princess. Run home to the Specter's lair."_**

With that, he was gone. Karone fainted dead away.

(End of Chapter)

_A/N: Anyone who can guess the significance of Havoc's last sentence will be rewarded. So anyway: The Duel. I really wanted to avoid the cliché of "One person's winning the entire time and then the second fighter pulls a victory out of nowhere." I was trying to establish that Havoc, while indeed strong, would be no match for a seasoned fighter unless he took special precautions. Only someone on Zedd, Mesogog, or Ransik's power level could do that. Be on the lookout for another antagonist from the Zordon era to make an appearance. But no spoilers…_

Karone: Boy did I get in over my head! I didn't even know Andros _could_ get so angry. I just wish he'd stop yelling at me when I already have this nasty headache. Havoc somehow escaped and sabotaged the ship on his way out. What else could go wrong?

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	4. Red and Green

Chapter 4

_"Behold the mighty Dragonzord! Soon my Green Ranger will have a zord of his own to crush the Power Rangers!"_

_As his Empress summoned the powerful beast and unleashed it upon the city, the man in Green examined his Dragon Dagger._

**_"Soon this will all belong to Empress Rita once the Power Rangers are defeated forever!"_**

_The drive to protect their city over their own lives forced the Rangers out of hiding. Their mentor was missing, their companion was panicking, and their Zords were still damaged from Green's previous attack. Nevertheless, they appeared like the heroes they were._

_"Tommy, you have to stop this. Don't let Rita control you!"_

**_"Dragonzord destroy the Power Rangers!"_**

_At the sound of his flute, the powerful beast launched several missiles at the five teens who barely managed to dodge. Ignoring the pain, the one in Red kept calling to him, pleading with him to resist Rita's control. In response, he commanded his Zord to lash at them with its powerful tail. But just before the beast made contact, the earth trembled and quaked throwing everyone off-balance. Somehow communication with Zordon had been re-established. A giant crevice opened nearby freeing the Zords that Rita had captured in a previous battle._

_Red turned to his teammates, "Are you guys ready for this?"_

_Each of them nodded grimly then all called out as one, "DinoZords arise!"_

_They all leapt to their respective Zords, but it was Red's Tyrannosaurus that squared off against the DragonZord. The battle was intense with both creatures taking heavy damage until Red broke away to plead once more for Green to stop. In that moment of weakness, Green pushed forward, landing blow after blow against the T-Rex. Realizing he couldn't defeat Green alone, Red called to his companions to form their Megazord. With the power of all five Zords combined, they managed to cripple the DragonZord and force Green to eject. Leaving his companions behind, Red leapt to the ground for the final battle with Green._

_"I'm sorry it has to be this way, Tommy, but Zordon says I need to destroy your Dark Sword."_

**_"The only thing being destroyed here is you. And once you and your precious friends lie dead at my feet, my Empress will take this world for herself!"_**

_Drawing his sword, Jason charged launching several quick slashes toward his opponent's head. With both Sword of Darkness and Dragon Dagger, Tommy easily blocked each blow. Ducking an overhead sweep, the Green Ranger fired a powerful kick that sent Jason reeling to the ground. Raising both weapons high, he brought them down, stabbing the earth an inch from where the Red Ranger's head had been moments ago. Grinning wickedly behind his mask, Tommy marched toward Jason and began playing his Dagger's flute. Unable to concentrate due to the flute's ear-splitting notes, Jason drew his Blade Blaster and fired, hoping to keep his enemy at bay until he could recover. Unfortunately, the flute's music activated Tommy's shield on his chest reflecting the blasts back at Jason. In a rage, he charged at Tommy again, but the Green Ranger blocked each strike with his Sword while still playing the flute. Knocked back again, Jason was only too aware of his opponent's flare of impending victory._

**_"It's time for you to die, Red Ranger. I wonder if your blood is the same color as your costume."_**

_Driving the dark weapon into the earth, Tommy sent a powerful shockwave through the ground flinging Jason into a nearby cliff wall. As his injured foe struggled to rise, the evil Green Ranger rushed forward fully intent on spearing Jason's heart to the rock wall. So intent in fact, that he didn't see Jason forcing the Power into his sword, nor did he see Jason hurl the weapon towards him. The sword struck him directly in the center of his chest directly below his shield and disarming him of both weapons. Before he could react, the Red Ranger fired his blaster reducing the Sword of Darkness to a smoldering crater. With the loss of his sword, Tommy screamed and clutched his head as Rita, desperate to keep her warrior, tried to increase the power of her spell. It was not to be. Without the evil blade, the goodness of the Power coin overcame the dark magic over it and set him free. Demorphed and disoriented, Tommy slowly stood up._

_"What-what happened?"_

_With the rest of his teammates joining him, Jason also demorphed._

_"You're no longer under Rita's control; you're safe now."_

_"What have I done?"_

_"What you did was under Rita's influence. But she can't force you to do anything anymore. The Power is yours now. And if you fight by our side, we can defeat Rita and ensure that no one else has to endure what happened to you ever again."_

_"After all that I did?"_

_"Tommy, we need you. You belong with us."_

_ Green didn't say anything for a few minutes but stood contemplating the offer._

_"Will you join us, Tommy?" Jason offered his hand. There was no more hesitation. Tommy accepted the handshake with a grin. The 6__th__ Ranger was now one of them. "All right then."_

"It's Morphin Time!"

"DragonZord!"

"Mastodon!"

"Pterodactyl!"

"Triceratops!"

"Saber-toothed Tiger!"

"Tyrannosaurus!"

_"We're ready to morph into action."_

_"Six working together to fight evil."_

_"To stop Rita."_

_"And all her menacing monsters."_

_"From destroying our planet Earth."_

_"And ruling the universe with evil."_

_"Look out Rita. We're not backing down; because we're the POWER RANGERS!"_

(End of Chapter)

A/N: Yes, I know the Zord call is "We need Dinozord power now!", but I thought the Lost Galaxy version was more appropriate in this situation. Originally, this was supposed to be a lead-in for another Karone chapter, but she wanted me to give her more time to recover before hurting her again. I'll say right now that she won't be the focus of every chapter, but she is still important to the story.

Okay remember what I said about avoiding clichés? Turns out that's difficult to do for a fight that actually happened. (Seriously, Jason may have landed a few hits at the beginning, but otherwise he was on the defensive until the very end.) But anyway, I wanted to make this a bit darker than how it was portrayed in-show. Because if you take away the fact that PR is a kid's show, it becomes very dark indeed. I wanted to show that being brainwashed did more than make Tommy evil; it made him sadistic and lust for blood. Something he had a hard time getting over…repeatedly. Figures the strongest Ranger in existence would be the one targeted most often. Now then…

Andros: Since we no longer have a prisoner to interrogate, all of us have returned to Earth. Karone is still unconscious…and I'm almost hoping she doesn't wake up. But while we were gone, something crazy went down in Reefside City. Does the word "Triptoid" mean anything to you?


	5. Thunderstruck

A/N to KLR: Kendrix is dead. I'm sorry, but bringing her back to life at the end of the season with no explanation was great for a happy ending but bad from a writing perspective. It's not that I don't like Kendrix; it's just that I figured keeping her dead would add more depth to the story.

To everyone else: Anyway, I know it seems like I'm taking too long to get back to Karone's plot, but there are a few more points I need to establish first. Everything will make sense in time.

Chapter 5

_Newsflash! Reefside City's central park is under attack by bizarre creatures. Evacuations are underway, but the Power Rangers are nowhere to be seen. Could Mesogog be on the prowl once again? We'll keep giving updates as the story progresses. This is Cassidy Cornell for channel 5 news at 5._

Glancing behind her, Cassidy quickly signaled her cameraman, "Cut the camera Devin. They're coming!"

As soon as she'd spoken, 4 teens and one adult ran up to the two. One of them looked at the creatures with a confused expression on his face.

"Are those…Triptoids?"

His teacher nodded grimly, "Does anyone know how this happened?" The teens shook their heads; Cassidy and Devin were equally confused.

"Well whatever the reason, they're wrecking the park."

"Guess we'll have to figure this out later," the man turned to the two reporters, "You two had better get out of here."

"Roger that." After they were safely out of range, Thomas Oliver turned to his four students: Conner McKnight, Ethan James, Kira Ford, and Trent Fernandez.

"Are you guys ready?"

They all nodded, "Ready."

"DINO THUNDER, POWER UP!"

"WHITE RANGER, DINO POWER!"

Now suited up, they charged into battle…only to be further confused when the Triptoids retreated almost immediately. The team scoured the park for clues, but, other than some collateral damage, the area was untouched.

Not surprisingly, the Rangers were rather baffled. Kira recovered first, "Uh, would someone like to tell me what just happened?"

"I will when I figure it out myself," Conner replied, "Why were there foot soldiers but no monster? And why would they show up if they weren't attacking or stealing anything?"

"Perhaps we should head back to the lab to examine the situation."

"Good idea Trent."

After the teens had gone home for the evening, Tommy returned to the team's headquarters to find his confidant waiting for them.

"So, how did it go, Thomas?"

"It's the strangest thing. They were attacking the park yet raced off as soon as we morphed.

"That is odd. Was there anyone leading them?"

"No. And that's another strange thing. Usually, Mesogog used Tyrannadrones as his foot soldiers, not Triptoids. They worked for Zeltrax instead."

"But you defeated Zeltrax and Mesogog."

"They were. And considering the former's change in loyalties, I don't think Mesogog would have brought him back with him. Is there anymore activity going on?"

"No. Although, Anton Mercer did leave a message for you earlier this afternoon. He said that he hasn't seen his wife Elsa since the teachers' convention at three, and its five-thirty now."

"You don't think that Principal Randall…"

"No I don't. He just asked you to keep an eye out for her."

"I'll do that just as soon as I make sure my kids made it home."

She chuckled, "_Your _kids?"

He winked at her, "You know perfectly well what I mean, my Kitty Kat."

Two affectionate meows, a hug, a kiss, and a session of trading mushy nicknames later, Tommy went to check on his students, and he was relieved to find that each one had made it home safely. With that finished, he returned to a fun-filled movie night with his wife.

(_Meanwhile)_

Despite her confusion, Kira had gone to bed relatively quickly. Tommy had assured her that he'd scan for the Triptoids and alert the team when he found them. So with nothing else left to do, she'd retired for the night. As she drifted off to sleep, she thought about her recent adventures with her team, the Ninja Rangers, and the SPD rangers.

_It's really great being a Ranger again; but I still wonder, is it a waste to have our powers back when there's no enemy to fight?_

Suddenly, there was a horrible crashing sound as her bedroom window shattered into pieces! Four figures cloaked in shadow darted into her room. Leaping out of bed, Kira sent a powerful Ptera scream at her attackers, only for them to sidestep the blast easily. With not enough time to morph, she tackled the closest figure and started punching him hard. That proved to be a mistake; with her focus on one, the other three grabbed her arms from behind. Flung on her back, she let out another sonic scream right before the first blow struck. They were on her in an instant, kicking and punching in a whirlwind of pain. Her eyes squeezed shut, she was vaguely aware of hearing footsteps outside her door. She could hear scuffling, grunts of pain, and something that sounded like "you're too late." Then she was being picked up, thrown out the window into the arms of yet another assailant, and hearing the distinct sound of a teleportation device. After that, she blacked out; her last memory being of someone calling her name.

(End of Chapter)

A/N: My apologies if this came off as too brutal for you guys, but I needed a way to up the stakes again. Now then, I suppose some of you are wondering why she didn't morph before fighting. Since she was being attacked at that moment in an enclosed area with little room to maneuver, she didn't have time to shout out her morphing call before they would have hurt her. Next, yes that was indeed Katherine that Tommy was talking to earlier. I don't want to offend any Tommy/Kimberly shippers, but at the same time, I couldn't figure out how to reintroduce Kat to the story if the two of them weren't married. But she's not just here as a love interest, she's contributing to the story as well. Don't worry, Haley's still around, just not in the way you'd expect.

Karone: Havoc's escaped, Andros is furious, and I have a headache. What else could go wrong?


	6. Broken Bird

A/N: Happy New Year everyone. I just realized that many significant PR character have C or K names. Kimberly, Katherine, Cassie, Kendrix, Karone, Katie, Kira, and even just K. Why do you think that is?

Chapter 5

"Do you realize what you have done?"

After a series of Astronema-related nightmares, Karone had awoken to find Andros glaring at her.

"I get the feeling, something bad?"

He turned away so she couldn't see his face, "The Space Rangers had been tracking Havoc for around two months before we contacted you; we only did so because we figured you'd know something about him we did not. When the time came to finally capture him, we allowed you to engage first; whereupon, you managed to defeat him and bring him here. Then, only days later, you released him from his cell, and put him in a position to escape. Not only making your own efforts fruitless, but that of the Space and Lightspeed teams as well. Do you have any explanation at all for what you did?

"Since other methods weren't working, I tried to take matters into my own hands to get the information we wanted."

"I see. By issuing this challenge, you started an unnecessary fight and then escalated it when you decided to morph. You violated one of Zordon's three rules as a Power Ranger, and as such, made yourself unworthy of being one. I have decided to confiscate your morpher and Quasar Saber until further notice."

Realizing what that meant, she blushed with shame. "Andros, please reconsider—"

"**No.**" His stern tone of voice killed her plea on her lips, "Turn them in please."

Reluctantly, and with tears in her eyes, she did so. As he turned to take them from her, she saw that his eyes were wet too. When he was finished, he moved away once more.

"Since Havoc is no longer here, the Lightspeed Rangers are returning to Mariner Bay. You are going to accompany them. To ensure that you don't lose your edge without your powers, I've decided that you are going to be assisting them at their Aquabase. You leave in half an hour."

"Okay Andros."

With that, he left her alone. When the time came, Karone followed her escort mechanically, not looking at anyone as she left.

(_In the ancient burial grounds of Mariner Bay where the LS Rangers defeated Bansheera)_

"Get your filthy hands off me! Put me down!" Tied up and blindfolded, Kira struggled against her bonds

"That's far enough, release her," said the first figure, a deep-voiced male, "here comes the boss." The Yellow Dino Ranger felt a sudden lurch as her four captors flung her to the ground. She heard footsteps approaching.

"Greetings, my friends," croaked a muffled voice, "Isn't someone going to ask me how my trip was?" No one said anything. "A pity. Now then, I believe she's supposed to be gagged; why isn't she?"

"The cloth was jostled off during the van ride, sir," replied another, female, speaker.

"It doesn't matter. Did you get the prize, Havoc?"

From the folds of his robe, the third figure pulled out a small phone, "I managed to secure this on my way out of the Megaship, the morpher for the Silver Ranger."

"Good job. What about the rest of you?"

Each of the others came up with their items: the Black Dino Coin, the Blue Turbo morpher, and the Yellow portion of the Zeo Crystal.

"All of the relics are in place, sir."

"Excellent. All right, Jinxer, remove her blindfold."

Kira felt the cloth around her eyes slip down slightly. Her vision was blurred from her earlier beating, but she could make out a small golden chime swinging in front of her.

"What are you doing with that?"

Someone kicked her; she cried out in pain and squeezed her eyes shut.

"Open your eyes." When she didn't immediately comply, they kicked her again until she did. Hurting and exhausted, she began to go numb.

"Open your eyes and keep them open." This "Jinxer" moved the chime closer. "Look at the chime. Look and obey."

"You're trying to—" They hit her again.

"Don't speak, just look and obey." Her eyes began to droop as she desperately struggled against the evil spell.

"Obey." Her eyes closed completely.

"_Obey" _She felt herself falling deeper and deeper under.

**_Obey_**. All of her senses went dead.

"I…I obey." Her eyes opened again, soulless, blank, and white.

"Good. Now arrange the four relics around Bansheera's tomb." Wordlessly, she did so; once she was finished, Havoc removed the lid of the coffin.

"I'm not sure how much power we have, so we should only try one for now."

"Very well," said the female voice, "And I know just the one." She turned to Kira, "You, child, aim one of your screams at the four items."

As the Yellow Dino Ranger moved to comply, a single tear slid down her cheek. The scream's sonic waves activated the artifacts, making them crackle with power. Inside the coffin, four wisps of smoke began to rise outward. The female figure carefully selected a yellow-orange wisp, caught it in a jar, and closed the coffin.

"That's it, gang. We're leaving." In an instant, the five of them vanished into the night, taking the items and Kira with them. The tomb looked as if no one had ever been there.

(End of Chapter?)

A/N: Getting a bit darker now. And yes, Kira is completely aware of everything they're making her do; she just can't do anything about it. Now then, out of our four (now five) mystery figures, two have been identified: Havoc and Jinxer. For those unaware, Jinxer was the little imp from Lightspeed Rescue that created monsters and made them grow. The goal of Queen Bansheera, the Big Bad of that season, was to create a portal to the underworld from her coffin and unleash EVERY monster that had ever been defeated by a team of Rangers. But right now, our Syndicate has only brought back one. But which one? Every team of Rangers has that one monster that gave them more trouble than any other or caused a significant setback, and one of those will be appearing soon.


	7. A Missing Link

A/N: Plot's beginning to come together now. There's just one more thing we need.

Chapter 7

_Dark Specter's heir did not normally consider herself a scientist. Which was why Ecliptor found it odd to find her in one of Finster's old moon laboratories, apparently making something in a giant vat, "Does something troubles you, my Princess?"_

_Astronema turned away from the cauldron to face her mentor, "Not something but someone: Divatox."_

_Ecliptor's expression was unreadable, "What about her?"_

_His charge's expression turned to disgust, "She is an incompetent fool. Wasting our resources, our money, and our monsters and accomplishing nothing to show for her efforts. As I recall, she was never to have engaged the Power Rangers at all. It was Havoc who insisted that she was the right one for the job."_

_"No doubt he wanted to exploit her failings for when he engaged them himself."_

_"Indeed he did. Those scans he sent us of the Turbo Megazord have proved invaluable for upgrading our weaponry. Yet for some reason, he refuses to engage them a third time. Even if our armies manage to capture Zordon's home-world of Eltar, we'd be no closer to ruling the universe until the Power Rangers are extinguished forever."_

_"What are you planning to do?"_

_"Recognize this?" She held up a palm-sized green crystal, "When Lord Zedd destroyed the Green Ranger powers, he transferred their energy into this crystal to be used by his Dark Rangers. Before he could however, it was shattered by Thomas Oliver, the first traitor to the Alliance. But despite being broken, the crystal's power was not lost. During the Machine Empire's time on Earth, they discovered the fragments of the broken crystal and reassembled it, hoping that its power would allow them to combat the Zeo Crystal. When that failed, rather than throw it away, King Mondo was wise enough to send it to me for analysis. Now, I shall use the power that remains to create a new monster, fused from the remains of two old ones. The first will be the Machine Empire's Midas Hound, a dog-like creature made of solid gold that could turn other objects into gold as well. The second will be Rita and Zedd's Pudgy Pig, a creature designed to eat just about anything and convert it into energy for its attacks." As she spoke, she placed the crystal into the vat. Its energy caused the mixture to quickly heat up and expand._

_Sensing danger, Ecliptor grabbed her arm, "It's getting too large."_

_"No," she didn't react at all, "It's working. All of my efforts are finally nearing completion."_

_How long had she been down here? Had she lost her mind? "Please Astronema, your safety is at risk!"_

_The sound of her name brought her out of her daze, and they fled the palace. The instant they made it through the exit, the vat exploded, flinging the two of them to the ground. Then the whole castle began to quake, crack, and fall apart. When it was over, Rita and Zedd's palace had been reduced to rubble._

_"What have you done?"_

_Astronema grinned wickedly, "My experiment succeeded. Behold my unstoppable creation. Behold _**Goldgoyle!**_"_

_Knowing that Divatox would be completely useless, the Princess of evil sent the beast to Earth to engage the Rangers, while she sent a platoon of Quantrons to back up General Havoc. Despite his incredible power, Goldgoyle fell to the Turbo Rangers, but not before he had destroyed both their Megazords and their weapons. Before they could recover, Havoc attacked; quickly forcing the Rangers to retreat. Astronema saw it all. She saw the Quantrons break down the door, she saw the General arm detonators around the building's foundation, and she saw Zordon's command center burn to the ground. Once the flames had died, she turned to Ecliptor._

_"Call them off."_

_"But my Princess, the Rangers still live."_

_"Yes, and if they die, others will replace them. I want them to stay here, to know that their destruction is complete. That way, no heroes will rise to defend Earth ever again."_

_"As you wish."_

_"Havoc told me that he wants Divatox to take the credit for this victory. I'm sure he has his reasons, and it's better that no one knows we were involved anyway. Let the rest of the Alliance keep underestimating us for a little longer."_

_"Very well."_

_"It's time for us to go."_

_(Present day)_

"You know, Thomas, you're being awfully calm about this." Katherine Oliver hurriedly paced back and forth over their living room rug. "One of your students has been kidnapped, and you're just sitting at the computer."

Her husband narrowed his eyes, "I'm not just sitting at the computer; I'm tracing the frequency of her Dino Gem. The signal is faint, so I'm having a hard time pinpointing it. Panicking will not solve anything. She's missing; we find her; we rescue her."

"Okay, okay, I'm just worried about her. My sense to the Power isn't as attune as yours, but last night…" She gave a small shudder.

"I know, sweetie, I felt it too. The last time a Ranger was in that much pain was when Kendrix…" He couldn't finish either. They both were silent for a few minutes, and both let out sighs of relief when the phone rang a few minutes later.

Kat picked it up, "Hello? Oh, hi Andros. What was that about Karone? Oh. Oh no. Is she okay? All right. I'll tell him. Yeah, tell Ashley we said hi. Bye Andros."

"Hey, I got something!"

"Great, where is she?"

"She's in Mariner Bay. But I still can't find her exact location."

"Let's gather the rest of the team."

"Hey, what did Andros want?"

His wife's face turned serious, "Karone has been removed from active service as a Ranger. Andros told me that she's also in Mariner Bay with the Lightspeed Rangers, and she's asking to see you."

"Me? Why me?"

"He doesn't know."

"Well, we're on our way there anyway; I suppose I could see her."

"This is all so bizarre. Triptoids attack then leave, Kira gets kidnapped, some of our friends' Items are missing. I may have to book another therapy session with Demetria after this."

Tommy grinned, "You do that, and you'll come home talking in questions again."

"Shall I pretend I didn't hear that?"

(End of Chapter)

A/N: This a little bit longer than normal, but that's because school's about to start for me. Because of that, I wanted to leave you guys with something to chew on until I can write again. So, one of Power Rangers' mysteries has been solved. What always bothered me about "Chase into Space" was how Goldgoyle just seemed to come out of nowhere. He wasn't mentioned in the episodes before then or afterward. Having **Astronema** as his creator served to tie the seasons in even further. To that end, having Havoc attack the command center instead of Divatox using Quantrons instead of Piranhatrons was my own personal input. I felt that he was far more worthy of that honor than she, and I don't think anyone would disagree with me. Now then, a twist. Karone and Tommy have some history together. How will that affect the story's future? Will Kira ever be saved? What sort of plan does The Syndicate have in store for our heroes? And most importantly, when the smoke clears away, will it be Karone or Astronema who stands triumphant?


	8. A Painful Choice

A/N: *Sighs* I'll be honest; I don't like hurting my book characters. Describing their pain is just as hard for me as it is for them. Just know that there will be a happy ending when it's all over.

(Chapter 8)

_I knew my brother had meant well in sending me to Mariner Bay. After all, a few days at a well-organized operation for protecting an entire city would keep me in shape and teach me some good discipline for when I resumed my Ranger responsibilities. Despite that, there was one thing neither one of us had foreseen…_

"What do you mean I'm 'under investigation'?"

_…the distrust._

"I'm sorry Karone; but because of the circumstances involving Havoc's escape, we need to keep contained until the examination is complete."

"'Examination?' I am not a criminal."

"Divatox's brother just _happened_ to be out of his cell on your watch. And then he just _happened_ to defeat you in a fight and run off; when before, you easily captured him and brought him in."

_Havoc must have thrown the first fight to trick me. But they'd never believe that._

"The fact that he swiped the Silver Morpher before leaving doesn't help either. Do you have any explanation at all?"

_None you'll buy._

"Carter please. You gotta believe me; I didn't purposefully set Havoc free."

"Can you back up that story in any way?"

Filled with shame once more, she hung her head, "No."

He narrowed his eyes and turned away, "Consider yourself lucky that I know Andros personally. You get one chance. But if I find out you're plotting something…"

Suddenly, he whipped around and fired his blaster straight at her head! The attack came so quickly that she didn't have time to dodge. The left side of her forehead flared into pain. The _side_ of her head? She opened her eyes and felt her face: no blood. He'd only grazed her. A muffled scream died on her lips when he cocked the weapon a second time.

"Understand?" She nodded fearfully, "Then get to your quarters."

Once the adrenaline had worn off, Karone broke down and wept. With Carter's accusations on top of everything else, all she could do was cry.

_This can't be happening. Not again. The suspicion, the anger, the pain, it's like I'm Astronema all over again. I'm supposed to be past that. I swore I'd never return to the darkness again. No. It doesn't matter what they do or say. I have to prove to them: to Andros that I truly deserve to be a Ranger on the side of good, with or without my powers._

(Elsewhere)

"Andros, are you sure you made the right decision?"

"TJ, she broke one of Zordon's rules. What else was I supposed to do?"

The Blue Space Ranger frowned, "You could have kept her with us on probation or something."

"I could have…but that wouldn't work. I love her too much. Lightspeed always puts their mission before the man; they'll make sure she stays in line."

"'Stay's in line'? This isn't like you Andros. You're acting paranoid and uncertain. Why are you suddenly—"

"Two weeks."

"I beg your pardon?"

"Do you know what happens in two weeks, Theodore?" Something was very wrong. Andros never called TJ by his first name.

"No, what?"

"It's the anniversary of Countdown to Destruction."

"I don't understand."

"If it hadn't been for Zordon's sacrifice, the forces of evil would have already won. Triphoria, Aquitar, Mirinoi, KO-35, Eltar, and Earth were completely overrun. And Zordon isn't here now. Meaning that if Astronema decided to return and amass new forces for the Alliance, we wouldn't be able to save them again, and millions of beings across the universe would die. Every year when this day comes, I'm forced to imagine that possibility, and there's nothing I can do about it."

TJ didn't say anything for a while. Then, "you have a battle going on inside you already, my friend. Between your fear of Astronema and your love for Karone, and those two emotions can't coexist with each other. I hope you make the right choice."

The Red Space Ranger gave a weary sigh, "I hope so too."

(Elsewhere again)

"Wake up," a fresh sting of pain brought Kira out of her trance-like state. She couldn't make out who had slapped her, and her cramping stomach and chained limbs made it difficult to concentrate.

"What's someone like me have to do to get some food around here?"

"Food?" her antagonist laughed, "You can't eat anything right now, not right before your _examination_."

"What? Brainwashing me wasn't enough for you freaks, now you're gonna dissect me?"

"Don't make me laugh. Mind control is quite overrated with you Rangers. One "I know you're still in there" speech, and you can easily break free. No. Instead, you're going to serve as a guinea pig for a special experiment."

"Uh-huh. Let me tell you; you're not the first Dr. Frankenstein to strap me to an operating table. I don't fear you, you monastery reject."

The figure stiffened, and then removed her hood, revealing herself to the teen, "My _name_ is Trakeena, daughter of the warlord Scorpius and former member of the United Alliance of Evil."

"Signing your name must be a real chore."

"How Oliver put up with you for so long, I'll never know; if it were up to me, I would have killed you right after you opened Bansheera's coffin."

Kira tried to stay calm, but the almost absentminded way the insect queen tossed out a death threat really shook her down. She began to sweat.

"So why didn't you?"

"The boss has plans for you. Plans to exterminate the Power Rangers forever. You see, it's not just about defeating one team of teens anymore; there are groups of defenders all over the planet. What was once considered a backwater world is now a birthplace of champions. In order for us to properly rule, your spirits need to be broken. For that, the Syndicate needs something so much worse than mind control, worse than death even." With a wicked grin, Trakeena picked up a syringe filled with a nasty brown fluid, "But I wouldn't think about that if I were you."

"What could possibly be worse than—Ow!"

"Thoughts like that would just drive you _Psycho_."

(End of Chapter)

A/N: This would have been up sooner, but avoiding clichés is harder than I thought. Though the story is all the stronger for me doing so. So now you see Andros's perspective. When you remember that he knew Astronema longer than he know Karone that just makes it even worse. It's very hard for both of them. He can never fully feel safe around her because of Astronema, and she can never truly feel noble around him because of Astronema. Sadly, things will get worse before they get better.

Next: The Dino Rangers arrive in Mariner Bay, and the Syndicate's leader is revealed.


	9. Repair and Prepare

A/N: Here's another cameo from our reporter friend. It's about two days later.

Chapter 9

_Newsflash: The ancient tomb that once belonged to the dreaded Queen Bansheera has been vandalized! Two nights ago, witnesses arrived on scene to find the area ransacked and the Queen's coffin missing. Fearing a resurgence of her evil forces, the Lightspeed Rangers are warning all citizens to stay in their homes until further notice. We will continue to give updates as the story develops. This is Cassidy Cornell on location in Mariner Bay for Channel 5 news at 5. _

Once the camera light turned off, the young reporter sighed heavily and braced herself against her tripod. "It wasn't until now that I realized how important these news reports are, Devin. I mean, without us, no one would know what was going on at all, and they'd probably panic. Especially since the Dino Rangers drove all the way here from Reefside."

Devin nodded, "They're just lucky that Dr. Oliver's wife managed to fit into a copy of their Yellow Ranger suit; the people would freak out even more if they knew Kira's been kidnapped. Do you think she's okay?"

His companion shrugged, "I don't know; all we can do right now is wait. Wait and hope for the best."

(Inside the Lightspeed Aquabase)

Captain Mitchell was briefing the Dino Rangers, "Now let me see. We managed to prepare two rooms for your arrival; however, one of you will need to sleep by yourself, since each room only has two beds. And as the only girl of your group, Katherine, you will need to share a room with Karone. The rest of you can pair up with whomever you choose. The Lightspeed Rangers are on hand to assist you in finding your Yellow. If you need anything at all, just come talk to me. Dismissed."

Once everyone else had settled down, Kat wandered through the many passages of the Aquabase searching for Karone. She found the youth buried under a pile of bedcovers, still disheartened from her confrontation with Carter.

"Um, are you okay?"

"As long as you don't try to shoot me, I'm fine."

"Would you come out from under there please? I'd like to see your face when I'm talking to you."

The girl gave a muffled sob, "Trust me, I think you'd prefer the sheets."

"Are you really okay?"

"Not really." Seeing as the elder wasn't going to leave, Karone emerged from the covers. She was a sorry sight: her skin was faded from lack of sun; her eyes were swollen and bloodshot; and her hair was a disheveled mess.

"Eesh, you weren't kidding."

Tell me something, Pink Ranger. You once served the forces of darkness like me. In fact, one of the plans you partook in nearly brought an end to your predecessor, Kimberly. How, pray tell, did the Rangers react when they discovered your treachery?"

Kat tried not to cringe, "Well...they didn't actually _discover_ it; so much as, I told them. See unlike you, I did not perform those actions willingly; I was under a spell made by Rita. I tried to fight back, of course, but I wasn't strong enough. She made me do some pretty nasty things: steal the Falconzord, corrupt the pink Power Coin, and help her and Zedd kidnap Ninjor among other things."

"How did you escape?"

"My 'Empress' sent me to infiltrate the Rangers and undermine them from within. In doing so, I was forced to fake a friendship with Kimberly and Aisha to gain their trust. What I didn't realize was that the false feelings eventually became real. So that when Kimberly was injured while trying to protect me, my compassion and guilt overcame the spell's power and set me free. And after I had told her and her friends everything, the Pink NinjaRanger opted to retire from the line of duty and appoint me as her replacement. The others were skeptical at first, but they didn't really hold a grudge; both because I hadn't been myself and because they had been through that kind of situation before with my husband."

"Ah yes, the Green Ranger. He was in a position of significant power just as I was. But he betrayed the darkness and turned good. And from fighting against him myself, I can tell he's every bit as strong as his followers on the internet believe him to be."

"Wait hold on, when did you fight Tommy?"

"During his time fighting against the Machine Empire, he was at one point abducted by King Mondo's wayward son, Prince Gasket, and made to believe he was their true king. Seeing the potential in him, Dark Specter sent me to test his worth as a possible apprentice for the Alliance. Despite my skills in both fighting and manipulation, I couldn't defeat him. He was the first person to ever match Astronema in combat. But before I could contact my Master with the news, Gasket attacked me and drove me away, claiming that the Earth and its Rangers would belong to him and not Dark Specter. Not wanting to risk full-scale war with the Machine Empire, the Earth, and Rita and Zedd, I retreated, claiming that the Red Zeo Ranger wasn't worth recruiting after all. Zordon's hold over him was too great, even if he had no memory. I felt that such power and determination was wasted on the side of good and was equally determined to possess such power for myself. Sadly, your husband passed on his Ranger status to another before I could strike again. Although, why he would do that is beyond me."

Katherine didn't say anything for a while; it was a lot of information to swallow at once. "Do what exactly? Stop being a Ranger?"

"Give up all that Power. The Zeo powers get strong every time they're used. That plus the remnants of Green, White Dino, White Ninja, Red Turbo, and the full Black Dino make your husband the strongest Ranger that ever existed. I don't understand why he would give that up. I know he still has the Dino Rangers, but I don't understand why he doesn't just work solo. He could have whatever he wanted, yet he remains on the path of righteousness…why?"

The elder ex-Ranger gave a knowing frown, "He told me that he's had moments where he wants to be evil again, to have absolute control over everyone. But three things stop him from doing so: The first was his pledge to Zordon not to use his Powers for personal gain. The second was that his time as the Green Ranger gave him a taste of that kind of life, and he didn't like it; he felt that it would be too easy to lose control. Third, many of his friends are/were Rangers too, and he knows he can confide in us if anything happens."

"Such fortitude is to be admired, I suppose. But what about me? Since I wasn't brainwashed like you and your husband, people have a harder time accepting me as a Ranger; even though I helped save the galaxy from Trakeena. I feel like a convict that's been released from jail. No matter how hard I try or how nice I am, people only seem to remember the things I did wrong. Is it really worth it?"

"Oh, yes! P-please don't doubt that."

"I just don't understand."

"Trust me, I know. But ask yourself this; why do you do good deeds?"

"Because…because I want to redeem myself for what I did."

"But Karone, no matter how many good deeds you do, you can't change that fact that those things happened. And nobody really seems to bring them up around here. The only problem I'm seeing is that you can't forgive yourself."

"Hmm, maybe I do have a problem. Do you think you could help me?"

"Of course I will. Hey, it'll give me something to do while—oof!" Kat suddenly found herself tightly embraced by the poor girl.

"Thank you SO MUCH!"

Caught off guard, her supporter began to laugh, "All right, all right, you're welcome. I'll make sure that the others make you feel welcome as well. Now…drop and give me twenty push-ups."

"Excuse me?"

"A little depression doesn't mean you can loaf around all day. If you want to work alongside your brother again, you'll need to get active. Now give me those push-ups!"

"Yes Ma'am."

(The Syndicate's lair)

"Trakeena."

"Sir."

"Is everything ready?"

"Yes sir. By hacking into the Wizard Wood online game, we were able to amass an unlimited amount of Triptoids to use for grunt work. The first of the monsters we selected has been upgraded and is ready for battle."

"And you've made sure that the proper failsafe is in place for maintaining control of our _experiment_."

"It is, but we don't need that just yet."

"Good. And are the rest prepared as well?"

"Yes sir."

"Then get a good night sleep. We strike tomorrow morning."

"Oh one more thing. The Dino Rangers arrived in Mariner Bay this afternoon. That means there are 12 potential threats to deal with."

"I suspected as much. Thomas never did learn not to stick his nose where it didn't belong. It doesn't matter. I shall wipe him out with the rest of his precious Rangers."

"Don't you mean 'we shall'?"

"Do whatever you want with the rest of them, but Dr. Oliver is mine."

She groaned, "As you command…Prince Gasket."

(End of Chapter)

A/N: Yes, Prince Gasket is the leader of the Syndicate. He's powerful, intelligent, and can take a blast from an Ultrazord and live. Expect to see a few more appearances from Cassidy later on in the story. For those of you who have any questions about the story so far, please send me a PM or leave a review, and I'll see if I can answer any reasonable (non-spoiler) questions I can. Reviews help the Power protect the Rangers.


	10. Hard Losses

A/N: I checked the view count for this story since I started, and it would seem that the number of people viewing each new chapter decreases as the story gets longer. It makes me concerned as to whether or not anyone is still reading this. Because if not, then this is kind of pointless, despite being very fun to write. The day after this chapter is posted, I'll start counting down. If I receive 10 new reviews and/or PMs by the end of my Spring Break (that's March 17th), then I will continue and finish the story. Otherwise, I really don't see the point of posting something no one will read. I'm not trying to be mean, guys, but I just don't know.

Chapter 10

_"Karone, please don't do this!" He blocked a slash of her staff with his saber but didn't strike back._

_She grinned evilly, "You can't stop me, Big Brother; you never could. Give up while I'm still feeling merciful, and I might spare your life."_

_Disarmed of his sword, he lunged forward, and the two grappled for her weapon._

_"I won't give up. I'll keep holding out until I find a way to save you."_

_Suddenly furious, she wrenched her staff away from him and fired another blast, "Saving? I don't need saving from you. Especially when _**you're** _the reason Ecliptor is dead!"_

_"W-what? You don't understand. I didn't purposefully kill him; shattering Zordon's energy tube was the only way to save the universe."_

_She was beginning to lose her composure, "If it wasn't for him, you wouldn't have saved _**me!**_ When Darkonda kidnapped me from KO-35, he took me to the Dark Fortress and, through a series of excruciating experiments, attempted to extract my telekinetic abilities for himself. When I showed resistance however, he decided to just dissect my brain instead. Ecliptor heard my desperate screams and rescued me from that monster. I suppose he had pity on me; for instead of leaving me to die once Darkonda had fled, he wiped away my tears and allowed me to stay with him. He taught how to strengthen my mental powers; he trained me in the ways of the warrior; and he gave me the name: Astronema. And when word came that KO-35 had been attacked and my family killed by the Power Rangers, I had nowhere else to go."_

_"That's a lie! We were the ones attacked. Don't you remember what happened to Zhane?"_

_She ignored him, "It was then that I became the Princess of Evil and Ecliptor my general. He loved me; he treated me like his daughter. Even when we were recaptured and reprogrammed by Darkonda, Ecliptor still cared for me more than anyone else. But then, you came along and destroyed Zordon. And the first life that his energy claimed…was that of my surrogate father. Yet strangely, Divatox, Rita, and Zedd were spared the same fate and were instead purified into human beings."_

_"Karone?"_

_She began to scream, "GOOD energy reduced him dust! GOOD energy took my father away from me! Why? Why was I spared and not him? Why wasn't I killed as well? And why would _**you**_, someone so devoted to the forces of good, send him to his death?!"_

_Andros barely had time to think as she rushed him again. Fueled by rage, she pierced through his suit, knocking him down and forcing him to demorph. With a final strike, he was knocked flat on the ground; she raised her staff for the kill._

**_"You won't be the last. I'll hunt down every single ranger on Earth and in space. And when their blood cries out from the ground, only then will Ecliptor truly be avenged!"_**

_The staff fell…and struck._

"NO!" Andros started awake. His face was covered in sweat.

TJ threw the door open, "I heard screaming; are you all right?"

"I'm f-fine, thanks. I just had a nightmare."

"Another one? That's the third time this month."

"Seriously, I'm fine."

His friend closed the door, "Andros, you may one of the most powerful fighters in the galaxy, but you're a terrible liar. Now, I am not leaving this room until you spill it."

"Fine. Do you remember what happened during Countdown to Destruction?"

"Which part? The part where we revealed our identities to the public, the part where Bulk and Skull led a crowd of civilians against Astronema's forces, the part where all of said forces were wiped out by the Z-wave, or the part where you finally hooked up with Ashley when the rest of us had seen it coming for weeks?"

"Leave her out of this, _Theodore_."

He grinned, "Sorry."

The red Ranger continued, "I was referring to the untimely demise of General Ecliptor."

With those words, TJ's grin faded, and both of them instantly became somber. Andros revealed his nightmare to his companion.

"And dreams like that one have been tormenting you for how long?"

"Ever since she became a Ranger."

"And you never told her what happened to her mentor?"

"I told her that Ecliptor died protecting her from harm. I just didn't tell her that the harm in question was me."

"And you think if she finds out, she'll try to take revenge?"

"It's a possibility."

The blue Ranger shook his head, "Andros, did it ever occur to you to just tell her—"

"I can't take that chance. Don't you understand? Don't you remember? How one of her monsters disguised itself as an SUV and nearly ran us all down? How she tricked us into a trap and turned us into data cards? How her creations, the Psycho Rangers, nearly killed you and **did** kill Kendrix? If Astronema returns, all of those nightmares would become a reality once again, and no one would be able to stop her. All of those reasons are why I made a promise. That by Zordon of Eltar's sacrifice, no one would ever have to relive the horror of Countdown to Destruction, even if it costs me my life."

(Back to Mariner Bay)

BREEEEEE!

BREEEEEE!

BREEEEEE!

BREEEEEE!

"The Monster alarm? Everyone, go to alert status." Both the Lightspeed and Dino Rangers raced into the briefing room.

"What's going on?"

The Aquabase's main technician, Dr. Fairweather, turned from the viewing screen, "The city is under attack."

Carter spoke first, "But that's impossible. We destroyed all of Queen Bansheera's forces."

"Regardless, you need to get out there and protect the city. Take the Dino Rangers with you."

"Yes sir." He turned to the others, "Are you guys ready?"

They nodded, "Ready."

"LIGHTSPEED RESCUE!"

"TITANIUM POWER!"

"DINO THUNDER, POWER UP!"

"WHITE RANGER, DINO POWER!"

When they arrived on the scene in Carter's Jeep, everyone looked around for the monster.

"Does anyone see it?"

"I don't see anything."

"Look up there!" Red lightning flashed in the sky as the beast revealed itself.

**_Why hello, Power Rangers. I bet you didn't expect to see me again._**

For the first time since any of the Dino Rangers had known him, Thomas Oliver cringed.

"Dr. O, are you all right?"

"What's wrong Tommy?"

"TJ told me about this guy. That's Goldgoyle, the same monster that destroyed the Rescue and Turbo zords."

"Turbo zords? Our Lightspeed zords were rebuilt from them."

"What do we do, Dr. O? We still don't have our Dino Zords."

Dr. Fairweather's voice chimed in over their com-links, "Guys, try to keep him engaged as long as possible, while I scan for a weakness."

"Sure thing. Rail-Rescues, on track! SuperTrain Megazord online."

**_"I'm having a strange sense of déjà vu. No matter, you still can't defeat me."_**

"Carter, be careful. Goldgoyle can—Aah!" Powerful energy bolts rained down on the Dino Rangers, knocking them to the ground.

"You should be more concerned about yourself than your friends, Thomas."

"I know that voice…Prince Gasket?!" Indeed, the former ruler of the Royal House of Gadgetry had appeared before them.

"It's nice to see that I'm remembered. And by the time I'm finished with this planet, all will remember me as the one to defeat the strongest Ranger who ever lived."

"You and what army, Gasket?"

"I was hoping you'd say that. Triptoids, attack!" A multitude of the green-and-black underlings surrounded the Dino Rangers and charged.

Meanwhile…

"Keep firing!" The SuperTrain's turbine laser added its power to the other weapons, knocking Goldgoyle backwards.

"Carter, we have to recharge."

"Not yet, Ryan. He's absorbing our energy; if we stop now, he'll just fire it all back."

"Too late, we're overheating!" Unable to keep up with the strain, the Megazord's safety locks engaged, powering the weapons down.

**_"Another generation falls for the same trick. Say goodbye to your Megazord and your lives."_**

Unable to dodge, the Lightspeed Rangers could only watch as Goldgoyle unleashed his attack, directly hitting the cockpit. Smoke began to fill the area, some of the consoles caught fire, and small explosions went off all around them as the SuperTrain Megazord fell to the ground. Miraculously, none of them was seriously hurt, but one of their strongest machines was out of commission.

The Dino Rangers weren't doing much better. For every Triptoid one of them managed to defeat, ten more swarmed from all sides. Even using their super modes and Conner's Battlizer, they were eventually overpowered and demorphed. All except Tommy, who was caught in an intense duel with Gasket, his Brachio staff clashing again and again with the Machine Prince's sword.

"Is that the best you can do, Thomas? I spent years training and preparing to face you again, only to find you using an inferior copy of the Zeo Powers. Ah well, it doesn't matter anyway. Even if you had used them instead, the result would be no different. But before I finish you, I think I'll make you pay for underestimating me…by finishing your students first!" Knocking the Black Ranger aside, he fired a shot at the others.

"NO!" Without the protection of their suits, the remaining Dino Rangers took the full force of the blast.

**_"Did you really think you would do any better than the last team of Rangers I faced? My creator knew they would be no match for me from the very beginning."_**

"That's what you think, but we're not done yet. Engage Lightspeed Solarzord!" Ryan's Solar Shuttle attached itself to the secondary Lightspeed Megazord.

**_"And how will your smaller machine fare any better than the larger one?"_**

Firing a stream of red lighting at them, Goldgoyle was surprised to see the smaller machine avoid each blast and return fire.

"That's it guys. Keep shooting."

"But our small laser cannons aren't really hurting him."

"I know; just trust me."

**_"Your pitiful efforts are nothing to me. Behold the definition of true power."_**

"Carter, now he's taking in all the energy from the surrounding area. It's even stronger than the last one."

"One hit from that will total us for good!"

"Hold steady, guys."

The mass of power continued to grow.

"Steady."

**_ "Goodbye Power Rangers."_** He discharged the attack.

"Now! Activate solar panels!"

Right before the blast struck, the solar panels activated, draining every bit of power from the attack and converting it into energy for the Megazord.

**_"What?"_**

"Divert power to weapons." Two giant cannons emerged under the robot's arms.

**_"No! This can't be happening!"_**

"Sure it can, Goldgoyle. FIRE!" His own power forced back on to him was too much for the monster. When the smoke cleared, electric charges were surging through his body.

**_"It's not over yet. If I go down, I'm taking you with me."_**

In an instant, long tentacles wrapped around the Solarzord, pulling it towards the crippled beast. The Rangers tried to struggle but were unable to break free in time.

"Quick, eject!" An instant after they made it out, Goldgoyle's body exploded, totaling the Megazord in the process.

Back with the others, machine had begun to triumph over man. As if sensing their imminent victory, the Triptoids regrouped and charged once more. Yet as the assault on Tommy continued, Gasket became increasingly concerned.

"This is just a stalemate. With all the powers inside him, he can heal faster than we can hurt him. There must be some way to dispose of him for good." And then he saw it, Carter's rescue jeep. The Lightspeed Rangers tried to stop him, but they were still hurt from fending off Goldgoyle. Too exhausted to continue fighting, Tommy couldn't stop his attackers from throwing him into the street, right into the jeep's path! Suddenly, a figure dashed past the other Rangers towards the helpless man. It was Katherine in her old Zeo suit.

"Look out, Tommy!" She pushed him out of the way but couldn't get out of the way herself. There was a screech of tires and a dull thud…

"Augh!"

And Kat was down, not moving. They all stared at her in a horror. Then Conner found his voice.

"Someone call an ambulance, quickly!"

(The Syndicate's headquarters)

"So, how did it go?"

"We destroyed two of their Megazords and crippled both teams. I'd call that a victory."

"Then do we launch a full assault while they're weakened?"

"Not yet, Trakeena. From what Havoc's told me, the Rangers are very resourceful. If we attack now while we're overconfident, we'd be helpless against any new scheme they had. Give them time to recover. I want them to have the illusion of hope; after that, we'll destroy everything they hold dear. Now then, time for our next assignment. Carter was once part of a mission to destroy the mighty zord Serpenterra. After said mission, Thomas gave blueprints of cog foot soldiers and the zord to each Ranger involved, in case of another attack."

"Okay, but what does that have to do with us?"

"The cog blueprints are stored in the Lightspeed Aquabase. But all of my attempts to hack it have failed." He handed her a flash drive, "I need you to infiltrate the base and copy the blueprints onto this, since most of the security will be in the medical bay. If this works, we shall have another group of soldiers to fight the Rangers."

"Okay, but why me?"

"Because you're the stealthiest one among us, and I know you can succeed."

"Well thank you, sir." She went off to prepare.

"Prince Gasket?"

"Yes, Havoc?"

"Did you mean what you said about Trakeena?"

"I was being truthful. Let me tell you something, General. I've seen entirely too many villainous team-ups fail because there was dissension in the ranks of evil. That was why I chose you all to assist me in this plan; each of you has a history of working well with others."

"I see. But what if she requires back-up?"

"Causing a diversion will seem too suspicious. If all goes well, they won't even know she was there."

"But what of the loss of Goldgoyle?"

"That's not a problem. The first monster destroyed their zords; the second will destroy their powers, the last will destroy them. Then the Syndicate will rule all."

"The Syndicate will rule all."

(End of Chapter)

A/N: I'm not sure if the story can stay K-rated after that. But I have heard someone get hit by a car on a family-rated radio show (he lived of course, but it was still pretty intense.) So, we see a little more of Andros's perspective, and the Rangers had their first significant battle with the Syndicate. Speaking of which, yes they're working together well. One of the biggest clichés I hate is the villains backstabbing each other. Mainly because if they didn't do that, they'd probably defeat the heroes easily. But Gasket worked with Archerina, Trakeena worked with Villamax, and Havoc worked with Divatox. That just makes them all the more dangerous. Anyway…

Trakeena: My turn to get in on the action and impress Gasket. Even it if is just a simple stealth-op. But if I play my cards right, then nothing can go wrong. "Ah-ah-CHOO!"


	11. Picking up the Pieces

A/N: Since everyone else is recovering right now, I thought it a good idea to switch back to—

Karone: Me!

A: Hey! What are you doing in my note!

K: Your notes are boring; I thought I'd spice one up

A: Oh really? And how pray tell would you do that?

K: *imitates movie announcer* Defeated! Team Dino Thunder had journeyed to Mariner Bay to search for their missing Yellow Ranger. Only to find themselves attacked by a new enemy: the Sinister Syndicate. Led by Tommy's old rival Prince Gasket, the villains destroyed two of the Lightspeed Megazords and injured the remaining Rangers. Wounded and disheartened, the team now returns to the Lightspeed Aquabase to plot their next move.

(Chapter 11)

"Aah! I can't…I can't move." Katherine lay on the ground tears of pain streaming down her face.

"Kat!" Her husband rushed to her aid, "Please hang on. Lightspeed's paramedics are on their way."

"Tommy," her eyes squeezed shut, she wrapped her arms around him, "It hurts….It hurts so much."

She wasn't the only one hurting either. The other Dino Rangers had been badly burned by Gasket's attack, and the Lightspeed Rangers had taken a hard fall when their second Megazord exploded. Once they were back within the halls of the Aquabase, its physicians immediately set to work trying to determine the extent of the damage.

Karone stared at the full sickbay in horror, "Oh no. Will they be okay?"

One of the medics took her aside, "Do you want good news or bad news first?"

"What's the bad news?"

"Katherine's back is broken. Even with the advanced healing she gets from the Power, she might not walk the same way again."

"Oh-no. What's the good news?"

"Aside from a few burns, the other Dino Rangers will heal to be just as well as they were before. Apparently, their Blue maneuvered himself to take the brunt of Gasket's attack, since the former's rock-hard skin protects him the most. All of them should be in fighting condition in no more than a couple of days."

"That's good to know."

_But what about Tommy? He knows that the body cast she's wearing was meant for him. I'd better keep an eye out in case he does something drastic._

Her concerns were not unfounded. When as he heard about his wife's state, Tommy immediately started to leave. She barred his way.

"Step aside, Karone. Don't try and stop me."

"You're in no condition to fight, Green Ranger. Your body's exhausted and your mind is clouded. Attacking Gasket now will just get you killed. Now just head back into—"

"I said **_move_****!**" His eyes flashed green for a brief instant.

_That power. He's even stronger then when I fought him before._

"I won't be intimidated by you or anyone else. **_Stand down_****.**"

They were locked in a stand-off neither one of them saying anything. She could see him slowly reaching for his morpher and inwardly braced herself. Just when she thought it was too late, he dropped his hand to his pant leg.

"I can now see why Andros was so concerned. Astronema's fire still burns within you. Very well then. Once the rest of us are back in top shape, we'll find a way to stop Gasket." He turned and walked back to where his wife lay.

Clink-clink! Something fell out of his pocket.

"Wait, Tommy, you dropped your…Power Coin?" He didn't hear her, so she kept talking to herself. "This is his Dragonzord coin: the one he used as the Green Ranger. It's very weak, but I can still sense energy in it." It didn't take long for the wheels to start turning in Karone's head.

_According to Zordon's old records, Tommy always had trouble keeping this thing energized. And since the Lightspeed morphers were trashed along with their Megazords, we need as many Rangers as we can. Maybe I can find a way to repower it. No, that wouldn't work. Adding more energy only delays the inevitable. Hey, I have an idea._

Since most of the Aquabase's tech staff was trying to repair the team's morphers and zords, the Pink Galaxy Ranger was easily able to find a lab to herself. As she tinkered, she talked to herself.

"No matter what source I use to charge the coin, it will still lose power over time. But if I can't change the power, I can change the coin. _I'll make it so that the coin can take energy from other sources. That way, it can always recharge and add strength to Tommy's arsenal. __**Wait. Is it really a good idea to give all the Power to Tommy? If we do, then we lose the battle as soon as he falls. Perhaps, we should spread our resources more evenly among our forces. I'm sure he wouldn't mind if I used it myself. Heh, heh, heh."**_

"What are you doing in here?"

Karone whipped around to find the man himself in the doorway!

**_"How did—_**I mean—how did you know I was here?"

"I heard you monologuing through the door. You're fixing my Dragonzord coin?"

"It's not done yet. But **_when I'm…_**when I'm finished, you should be able to morph into the Green Ranger again."

He held up his hands, "Hey, I've been trying to repair it for years. If you can fix it, you can use it."

"There's some sort of catch, isn't there?"

"No there isn't. You may have had to scheme and manipulate when you were Astronema, but as Karone and a fellow Ranger, I feel I can trust you. Just make sure I don't regret that statement."

She shook herself and brought a hand to her forehead, "**_I'll be_**…sure not to."

"Okay then." He started to leave but suddenly popped back in again. "And before you use the coin to go off and do something stupid, I'd like you to have this too." He slipped something into her pocket, and then really left.

Now by herself, she examined his gift (_a cell phone?_) and kept working, "Wow, he actually trusts me. This should help me get the others' too. Just a few last adjustments and…it's ready! But I can't use it yet; I'm not sure if it'll work."

She examined the cell phone again; that was when it hit her.

"But this might."

(Later that night)

"Trakeena, report." The Machine Prince's only reply was static. "Trakeena, are you there?"

"Ah-CHOO!" He heard her snort and rub her nose, "Yes, I'm in."

"When I told you to find somewhere safe to hide, I didn't mean the freezer."

"It was the only place the patrols wouldn't go."

"You have the list I gave you?"

"Yes."

"Recite it to me."

"Step one: insert flashdrive marked B into the computer and transfer the blueprints.

Step two: remove flashdrive B and insert flashdrive V.

Step three: transfer the virus from flashdrive V into the system to corrupt their last Megazord and completely disable team Lightspeed's tech.

Step four: Remove both flashdrives and get out before being spotted."

"You forgot to read 'without killing anyone'."

He could hear the whine in her voice, "But Sirrrrrr."

"No buts. The Syndicate's forces are too meager right now. If any of them actually died, every active Ranger on Earth would descend upon Mariner Bay in an instant and wipe us all out."

Now she was pouting, he chuckled to himself, "Fine. I'm making my way to the computer room. Thankfully, it's already on so there shouldn't be a password problem. No one's here; they're probably tending their wounded. Heh. I'm at the computer. Inserting flashdrive B. Transferring blueprints. Transferrrrrrrrrrrrrring. Transferrrrrrrrrrring. Transfer complete. Uh-oh, someone's coming!"

"Hide behind a cabinet."

That someone happened to be Dana, the Pink Lightspeed Ranger and the daughter of Captain Mitchell. She and her brother Ryan were the only ones of their team still on duty. Seeing the vacant computer, she turned to investigate.

Trakeena quickly hit the mute button on the walkie-talkie before Gasket could inadvertently give her away. Unfortunately….

"Ah-ah-ah,"

"What was that?" Though Dana still couldn't see the insect queen, she had turned in her direction. "Who's there?"

"Ah-CHOO!" Green slime spayed all over the poor girl. Inevitably revealed, Trakeena braced herself for a fight…only to be surprised when the other did not attack. The Ranger looked down at herself.

"Ugh! What is this stuff? What's…going…on…?" She didn't say anything else; she just stood there staring.

"Oh my gosh, she's gone into shock from disgust! Hold on." Thinking quickly and desperately, Trakeena approached Dana. "Um, you've had quite a long day today."

"I…I suppose…I have…." She sounded like she was only half there.

"You should go take a nice warm shower and hit the sack."

"That…sounds nice." She turned and left. Trakeena turned the walkie-talkie back on.

"What's your status? Respond at once."

"I almost got caught, sir. It was a stroke of luck."

"No such thing as luck. Now please finish the job before something happens."

"Yes sir. Uploading virus." Once finished, she grabbed both flashdrives and made to flee. She had just reached the Zord docking bay when….

"STOP!" Karone was running towards her. "I thought there was something wrong when Dana didn't come back, so I checked around and found—You?!"

"What, you again? Gasket said nothing about the traitor being here."

"You're working with him, Trakeena? I never thought you and that bucket of bolts were compatible."

With a snap of her fingers, the insect queen summoned her father's staff and fired a blast, "How dare you demean the Syndicate's leader! For that, you'll be coming back with me."

Her opponent got in a stance, "As much as I'd love to see Gasket again, I'll have to decline."

"I don't recall giving you a choice." She charged.

Dodging another shot, Karone fired back with a strong punch, pushing her rival back. Rushing forward, she tackled Trakeena and knocked her to the ground. She felt the staff sweep her legs out from under and fell hard on her shoulder.

"Aah!"

"Your Red wasn't a match for me without his Battlizer. What makes you think you'll fare any better?" Charging her weapon once more, she brought it down on Karone—or rather—on Karone's new coin. "What?"

"Thank you very much. I think I can call that a successful test of my new power system."

"My staff!" Its glow faded to nothing. The coin on the other hand was gushing with energy.

"Now there's just one more thing to test."

Trakeena's voice filled with panic, "No. Don't do it.

"IT'S MORPHIN TIME!"

(End of Chapter)

A/N: Anyone seen PR Megaforce recently? I think it's really cool they've brought the old invocation back. So yeah, while everyone else is healing, Karone's off getting things done.

K: You had better believe it.

A: Ugh. Reviews help the Power protect the Rangers


	12. Green with Evil

A/N: The main reason my updates are so sporadic is because avoiding clichés is difficult for me. However, each one I do avoid makes the story stronger. One thing I should point out first. Karone upgrading the Green Coin means that **the suit and weapons** are gaining all of the excess power, not Karone herself. But enough of that, on with the show!

(Chapter 12)

"DRAGONZORD!"

As she felt her suit form around her, Karone took note of her new powers. Unlike the calm flow from the Pink Quasar Saber, this energy was much more volatile, and it crackled with power.

_Wow, no wonder Zedd and Mondo wanted this coin so badly. I've barely charged it at all, yet it's already matched my Saber at full power. Okay, keep it together, Karone. After being beat down already, the last thing the Rangers need is another crisis on their hands. Stay. In. Control._

Drawing the Dragon Dagger, the new Green Ranger motioned toward Trakeena, daring her to attack. With her staff now re-energized, the insect queen rushed forward firing multiple blasts. Leaping into the air, Karone met the charge with a powerful kick. A walkie-talkie clattered from her opponent's belt.

"Trakeena, what's going on?" Gasket was shouting from the other end, "Report now! Respo—" CRUNCH!

The Green Ranger removed her boot from the pile of sparking metal, "Sorry, but your prince can't afford to know that I'm in town just yet." Trakeena came back for another go-round, but Karone was ready. With uncanny speed, she threw her Dagger into the air, sidestepped a stab from the staff, wrenched it out of the other's grasp, knocked her away, and kicked the falling weapon right into Trakeena's unprotected chest! She howled in pain and yanked out the point along with a lot of green slime. Now wounded, the insect queen reverted to what can only be described as animalistic fury; still screaming, she hurled Karone into a stack of supply crates then pounced on her, scratching, slashing, and even biting like a rabid dog.

The Green Ranger defended herself from the onslaught as best she could, but her foe's unexpected vigor had caught her off guard.

_What's gotten into her? I've never seen her fight like this before!_ Another slash hit her torso hard under the suit…yet the material itself was undamaged. _That's strange. Usually when the suits take a hit, energy leaks out as sparks. _After landing several more hits, Trakeena panted and backed away to recover. _But even though I'm certainly feeling the blows, The Power around me isn't. In fact it seems…stronger. Did my upgrades allow it to absorb kinetic energy too?_ Suddenly, it was like a dam giving way. There was a massive rush of force as the suit absorbed all of the strength from its earlier beating. The very air around her crackled with power.

"Whoa, this is intense! So much power. Too…..much…..power…. I can't…I can't control it!"

Then everything froze.

(In the infirmary)

"Tommy, I'm worried."

"What's wrong, Kat? The doctor said that as long as you don't move, your back should still heal enough for you to walk."

"It's not that. I'm worried about Karone."

"What about her?"

"When I talked to her earlier, she seemed distraught. She can't seem to forgive herself for what she did as Astronema. I fear that if she doesn't make peace with herself and with Andros, she might return to the darkness."

"I know the feeling. Perhaps you and I can—" He abruptly stopped talking, overwhelmed by a heavy sense of dread. He glanced at his wife.

"I sense it too. Go help her quickly!"

He ran off, hoping he wasn't too late.

(Back in the Zord hanger)

Trakeena had regained her composure; while, Karone just stood in the center of the room, her eyes closed.

"What's wrong, Karone?" The insect queen snarled and began walking towards her, "Have you run out of fight already? That's just typical. I don't know what Dark Specter ever saw in you. One of his generals brings in a stray, and he has her trained as his apprentice. You did nothing to earn that title at all. Not like me. My father and I worked hard to be a part of the Alliance of Evil, and I was all set to move up until you arrived. I should have been trained. I should have been feared throughout the galaxy. I should have become Astronema!" She rushed forward for a final strike.

A gloved hand caught the outstretched fist and pulled it close. A large boot slammed into Trakeena and knocked her away. Two glowing green eyes snapped open and narrowed towards their foe.

**_"What fool is this, so weary of life, that she takes the name of Astronema, MY NAME, in vain?"_**

The other's eyes widened in absolute terror, "No. No, it can't be…."

**_"You stand before me, yet deny that I am here? You are not a fool; you are simply mad."_** In an instant, Astronema grabbed Trakeena by the throat, **_"Now tell me why Gasket sent you here."_**

Scorpius's daughter trembled with fear, but she didn't give in, "I won't tell you anything."

**_"A foolish attempt to maintain some sense of nobility. But that was not a request."_** Her hand began to close and cut off even more air from her victim, **_"You will tell me why Gasket sent you, or you will learn the upper limits of the human capacity for PAIN."_**

Maybe it was her chilling voice. Maybe it was her reputation for torment. Or maybe it was just her soulless, glowing, green eyes. Whatever it was, it was enough to break her opponent.

"Very well, I yield. Gasket sent me to steal blueprints for his cog foot soldiers in order to build up the forces of the Syndicate."

**_"I see. Here's what you're going to do. You're going to take the blueprints back to Gasket just like he told you to. However, you will not tell him of your encounter with me, nor will you tell him of the reactivated Green Ranger powers."_**

"And what will you do if I do tell him?"

She sneered, **_"I was hoping you'd say that."_** With a wicked laugh, The Green Ranger plunged the point of the Dragon Dagger into the insect queen's mouth! Trakeena tried to fight back but was quickly overpowered. All she could do was scream in indescribable pain as Astronema pried a cluster of teeth out of her mouth!

"AAAAAAAHHHHHH!"

**_"Does that answer your question?"_**

Fortunately, any further torture was interrupted by a banging on the outer hatch. The hatch opened, flooding the room with water. While Astronema managed to grab one of the walls for safety, Trakeena was pulled outside by the current. Right afterwards, steel floodgates closed over where the opening had been, and special drains, installed for just such a purpose, began to siphon the water away. Through a nearby porthole, Astronema saw a small submarine pull up next to Trakeena and a retrieval claw pull her inside. The Princess of Evil had demorphed and was just weighing the odds of pursuit when….

"Karone? What's going on in there? Karone, answer me!" Astronema suddenly felt her head grow hazy. She swayed dangerously before bracing herself against the wall and sliding down to the floor.

It had taken a while, but Tommy had finally found Karone. But for some reason, the door to the Zord bay had been barricaded. He'd heard sounds of scuffling, an agonized scream, and water filling the room. The water had weakened whatever it was that had blocked the door, so he had been able to pry it open at last. Karone was soaking wet and unconscious on the ground, the green morpher on her wrist. He gently picked her up, and carried her off to the infirmary.

"Looks like you and Kat will be roommates again."

(The Syndicate's headquarters)

"And you're sure that's all that happened?"

"Yes, Prince Gasket. General Havoc is deciphering the blueprints as we speak."

"That's very good, but I'm more concerned about you. You look like you fell into a wood chipper. You say a Ranger did that to you?"

"Indeed sir."

"Last I checked, breaking teeth wasn't part of their protocol."

"My opponent wasn't aiming for my mouth, sir. It was a misfire."

She could tell he wasn't quite buying it, but he didn't press further, "If you say so. I must say, I'm impressed. Even in the face of such painful injuries, you managed to accomplish the entire mission. For that, I'm giving you two of your own cog servants to be programmed however you choose."

"Really? Thank you so much, sir."

"You're welcome. You have some time before our next mission. I expect you to prepare accordingly."

"Yes sir."

"And how go your efforts with the prisoner?"

"Kira continues to resist the Psycho serum."

"Still? She's more resilient than I first anticipated. We may have to alter our plans if she doesn't cooperate. Still, that's another problem for another day. Great job today, Trakeena."

(Back to the infirmary)

_"Karone."_

_"Hmm?"_

_"Karone, wake up."_

_"Who's there?"_

_"Ahh, finally. It's much easier to communicate when you're asleep."_

_"So, I was dreaming inside a dream?"_

_"What do you think dreamless sleep is? But I digress, I need to talk to you urgently."_

_"Where are you? I can't see you."_

_A bright light appeared before her, then slowly materialized into a young woman. She had dirty-blond hair, pink clothes, and a pair of glasses. Karone gave a small gasp._

_"I see you remember me then," the woman smiled, "I haven't seen you in a while."_

_"K-k-Kendrix?"_

_(_End of Chapter)

A/N: I'm back. Ugh, exams are such a hassle. A couple of things to address here. First is our first glimpse of Astronema. I've built her up as a terrifying threat throughout the story, but this is where you see how dangerous she truly is. Second, the teeth. I needed to find a way to keep Trakeena from telling Gasket about Karone. Because if he know, he'd kick their plans into overdrive, and it would be all over for everyone. Since other methods seemed too unorthodox, I decided to go with sheer intimidation. Thirdly, Kendrix. Since I've made several references to her death so far, I figured I'd be able to get much more of an emotional response if she actually appeared in person (so to speak). After all, Astronema's Psycho Rangers were responsible for her death. Reviews help the Power protect the Rangers.


End file.
